Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “color” come from?

color (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek μέτρον, from Ancient Greek -τρον, from Proto-Hellenic -tron, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...

color (Latin): colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion

Definitions

  1. colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion

Ancestry of “color”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekμέτρονsomething used to measure: measure, rule, weight;...
2Ancient Greek-τρονForms instrument nouns
3Proto-Hellenic-tronForms instrument nouns from verb stems
4Proto-Indo-European-tromForms nouns denoting a tool or instrument
5Proto-Indo-European-tḗrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...

Words derived from “color”

  • color
  • colors
  • Colorado
  • colorful
  • coloring
  • colorless
  • watercolor
  • discoloration
  • tricolor
  • couleur
  • colorfully
  • discolor
  • colorist
  • colorable
  • multicolor
  • coloratura
  • colorimeter
  • colorimetry
  • Tricolor
  • colorism
  • colorization
  • coloristic
  • colorado
  • decolorization
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr →